Saturday, January 23, 2016

RugsUSA are horrendous, don't buy there

On Black Friday I ordered an 8x10 beni ourain style rug from RugsUSA.  I used an 80% off coupon.  The rug was originally over $1000, and I got it for $223.80. When it arrived, it was super thick and cushy and felt nice under your feet.

However, the rug was stained yellow on three sides of the rug. Both ends had yellow stains of a foot or more, and one side had a two inch stripe of yellow along the entire length.  It looked as if the rug had sat in water while in shipping. This was not a "color variation."  It was a stain.




I calculated return shipping on the UPS webpage, and it was over $400.  On the RugsUSA webpage, you can request a return shipping label for $49.  Take note--you have fourteen days to return most of the rugs on their website. If you choose to request their much, much cheaper shipping label, they will MAIL IT in three to five days.  Not, let me buy a shipping label and download it immediately. No, they will mail you a label. When they get around to it.

Since the rug arrived stained, and it wasn't visible until we opened it, I felt that I should not have to pay anything to return it.

I emailed RugsUSA twice.  Despite a webpage that says "will respond in 24 hours", I did not get a response other than an auto-generated email that stated they had received my email.  I also tried on three separate occasions to call them, and waited on hold for more than a half hour each time. The third time I finally got a hold of someone, who promised to email me a return label within two days. I don't know why it takes two days to email a label.

In the meantime, I wrote a scathing review of the rug and the customer service.  Mysteriously, it has yet to show up on the website.  In fact, every time I have been on hold with RugsUSA in the past two months, I have written a scathing review of the rug and their customer service.  That would be five times.  And yet, none of these zero star reviews have been accepted on the website.

Seven days later, I called again, waited on hold for 28 minutes, relayed my story for the umpteenth time, and asked why it was taking a week to email a shipping label.  An hour later a label showed up in my inbox.  I packed the rug back up and dropped it off at UPS the same day.

RugsUSA accepted the rug at their warehouse on December 31st, according to the shipping receipt.  On January 13, I called and said, I have yet to receive my refund, despite the fact that you received the rug two weeks ago.  The customer service rep noted that no request had been made for a refund.  (OH REALLY.)

My request for a refund was duly noted, and I got my refund the following day.

To recap, I purchased a product that arrived in a defective condition, and it took from December 4th to January 14th to return this rug and get a refund.  Five phone calls, multiple hours of my life I will never get back waiting on hold, nine emails, and nearly two months from purchase to refund.  The customer service reps were quite polite, and every time I spoke to someone they apologized and cheerily assured me that they would send me a label, or return my money, etc.  And yet it took months and many, many phone calls and emails on my part to get my money back.

I have other rugs I have purchased from RugsUSA that arrived without incident, and the company is certainly a very cheap source of stylish, fashionable rugs.  However, caveat emptor, because if something does go wrong, it will be difficult to get  your money back. 

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

2015: A Year in review

My word for 2015 was...hold on, lemme go look it up...apparently the reason I can't remember my word for 2015 is because I didn't have one.  I didn't do a year in review post for 2014.  Apparently I also didn't do a year in review post for 2013, either. I guess I was busy?

2015 was not a terrible year.  It could have been worse.  We spent a ton of money fixing up our last house, I gave myself a concussion, I had a seriously jacked up back and neck and pinched nerve, I took some drugs for the pinched nerve that put 15 lbs on my behind, we sold our house, and I moved us to a new house while the Mister was on vacation.

"Not a terrible year" is apparently a pretty low bar for me.

I would describe 2015 as fine.  Not awful (the shitstorm that was 2011-2012 makes me think that by comparison, mediocre is fine, thanks), not great. I spent much of it in a lot of physical pain (concussion, pinched nerve) and our lives in upheaval as we moved.  I know I spoke in a few posts of just putting one foot in front of the other, and eventually we'd get through it.  That was what happened.  Keep slogging on and eventually this too shall pass.

I had one goal for 2015, and that was to learn to speak Spanish.  Mi espanol es muy mal.  I've been taking lessons for most of the year, and I really thought I'd be further along than this. (Ever since reading this story I feel somewhat inadequate.  Although I guess desperation is a powerful motivator.)

 I do the homework diligently, I attend every class, I use the Duolingo app every day, and I can barely converse with a child. Until I meet a Spanish-speaking person willing to talk to me on a daily basis, I feel like my skill level will be enough to read a grocery store circular and comment on the weather and cuteness of babies, but not much more.

Like last year, my only goal for 2016 is to learn to speak Spanish, so maybe by the end of the year I will be able to read a newspaper.

May your 2016 be even better than 2015.